A Fateful Encounter
by Elaine Vivian
Summary: Stars goes out in the rain trying to escape her troubles and runs into more trouble than bargained for. T for attempted assault. R&R.


_***A/N: asdfghjkl I cannot even. Another MorrisxStars for my darlings. Emily and Max better be so grateful because I spent like all day writing this and I finally finished it and I'm so proud of myself. Dedicated to Em and Max, because they are such wonderful people and perfect Muses. R&R and also cry a little that's okay too**_

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The rain was pouring down hard —not a good thing for the newsies who needed to hawk the headlines out on the streets. The rain wasn't something that the newsies could ignore, however; if you were selling that day, you were holed up in some building somewhere.

Stars sat in the front room of the girls' lodging house, watching the rain splash against the windowpane. Her closest friend Piper sat on the floor in the corner, playing a soft tune on the set of panpipes that had given her the name she used. Their friend Maxie leaned against the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently while she waited for the rain to stop.

Stars wasn't one for nostalgia. She believed that you had what you had and if you lost it then you moved on, but rain always seemed to make her reminisce. She would rarely ever think about memories with her friends, though. They were always here, and she knew that they mostly always would be. No. More often than not, she thought of the memories of the times she'd had with _him_.

She remembered the time before the strike, when things were simpler and they weren't an odd pair. Those were times that were easier and missed by all. She remembered when they'd met in the alley that night during the strike and nothing felt right. The memory she remembered the most feeling was from wintertime. They'd had that small time together on New Year's Eve; it had been the best night of her life, though she'd never admit it.

Suddenly, Piper's quiet music disappeared; Maxie's infernal tapping had ceased. Stars looked at them. "What?" she asked, confused.

Piper pocketed her pipes in her knapsack. "You'se thinkin', Stars," she sighed, "an' you ain't exactly the thinkin' type."

Maxie nodded. "She's right, Stars. What's botherin' ya?"

"Nothin', I'se just lookin' at the rain is all," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why's it so odd that I'm thinkin'?"

Piper laughed. "Ya just ain't the sort who dwells on the past. An' lookin' at ya just then, I could tell that's whatchya was doin'. An' I'se gonna guess it's about a boy."

"So what if it is?" asked Stars. "It ain't like you'se never fancied someone or nothin'. I see tha way ya look at Henry."

Piper put her hands up, backing off. "I ain't sayin' there's anythin' wrong with it. I just know there ain't a single newsie worth your time, so it can't be one of 'em."

Maxie pursed her lips in a smile. "Maybe he's rich," she offered.

Stars rolled her eyes. _He's anythin' but_, she thought. "Why's it matter anyway?"

Maxie and Piper looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess it don't," she said. "But if there is a boy, ya _can_ tell us. We's your friends."

Stars looked at the ground. "It ain't important."

By then, the rain had lightened some. Stars pushed off the chair she was sitting on and started outside. "The rain's lettin' up," she said. "And I'se gonna get outta here. Don't follow me. Please."

She donned her cap and went out the door, ignoring Piper shouting behind her, "It's still rainin'! You'se gonna catch a cold!"

As much as she would have liked to have been the only person on the streets, others also took advantage of the lighter rain. Some of the boys were selling; people were in shops; even some of the outdoor merchants were reopening their businesses as long as nothing could be damaged with water.

She tried avoiding the main streets and taking the alleys and back-roads as much as possible until she ended up at a dead end. She climbed up a tower of crates and sat down on top of them, hugging her knees to her chest. She just wanted it all to go away—the entire world. She didn't want to think about her friends or her enemies or even him. She just wanted to see nothing in her head… absolutely nothing.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice said loudly.

She looked up to see Oscar Delancey standing at the other end of the alleyway. He had a vicious smirk on his face and his eyes were full of intent. Morris was not with him.

He walked closer as she climbed down the crates. In seconds they stood face-to-face, though not quite level. He tried to touch her face, but she swatted his hand away. He raised an eyebrow. "Well ain't we feisty?" he quipped.

"What do ya want?" she spat at him.

"Aw, Stars. You don't gotta be like that." He took a step closer, making her trip backwards. He kept walking closer until she was backed up against the wall, and she could feel his breath on her face.

She turned her face away as much as she could. "Ya gotta problem with me, Oscar, then just say it."

He smiled deviously. "I ain't got no problem with you, doll face. You'se a pretty girl, y'know. Maybe I just wanna have a little fun with you." He snaked his arms around her and, pulling her close, kissed her.

She jerked her head back in surprise, but all she managed to do was hit her head on the wall and make him hold her tighter; the more she struggled, the worse it was. She felt his hands beginning to reach under her shirt and tried to scream.

"Get your hands the hell off her."

Oscar let her go with a growl, pushing her back against the wall and ensuring more bruises that would show up the next day. She shook her blurry vision away and saw that Morris was there, looking ready to go head to head with his brother.

"What did you say, little brother?" Oscar said through clenched teeth.

Morris straightened. "You heard me. An' if you get anywhere near her again, I'll bust your skull."

Oscar laughed incredulously. "Never took you for a hero, Morris. Never woulda thought you had in you."

"I ain't no hero. But nobody messes with her. Nobody messes with my girl."

Had she heard him right? Had he just called her _his_ girl? It was so… uncharacteristic of them. They were never exactly each other's, though they were never exactly not. It was just… a lot to think about. She wasn't sure if she was okay with belonging to someone else.

But it gave her a feeling—one of warmth and comfort. It gave a sort of reassurance that he didn't mean her any harm; that he'd be there even when he wasn't actually there. It was like they were together, but separate.

Oscar looked at his brother with surprise. "_She's_ your girl? She's the girl you go an' meet when you say you'se goin' out for a walk? Geez, Morris. I knew you wasn't always the smartest, but I figured you'da had better taste than—"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Morris delivered a right hook straight to his eye, making him double over. "You ain't gonna talk 'bout her like that, you got it? Why don't you just scram, Oscar? Get outta here."

Morris waited until his brother was gone until he turned to face Stars, walking toward her. "You okay?" he asked, kneeling down to reach her.

She looked at him, a range of emotions displayed in her expression. "Ya stood up to him. Ya actually stood up t' him… why?"

He took her hand and helped her stand. "Like I said. Nobody messes with my girl."

He placed one hand on her waist and placed the other on the back of her head. He leaned in slowly and kissed her softly.

She let her arms rest on his chest and leaned into the kiss. As much as she knew it should've scared her, she didn't let it; it didn't need to. Unlike Oscar's assault, this was peaceful and gentle and oh, so happy.

Neither Stars nor Morris was particularly romantic. Neither of them wished for a happy, flawless future or a smooth life. And as much as they hid their feelings from anyone, they only wished for what they already had: each other.


End file.
